Ultimate Fitness Centre is a newly opened gym and kickboxing facility opened just off City Road. It…read moreseems to be a replacement for the old Cardiff Kick Boxing outlet at 166 City Road. Denzil Lawrence and Spiro Micallef who used to operate out of this facility are now using Ultimate Fitness Centre, and the new premises carries the Cardiff Kickboxing insignia. I don't profess to know a huge amount about kickboxing, but it seems that Ultimate Fitness Centre are offering something a little different. Lee, a Muay Thai instructor, claims that Ultimate Fitness Centre are the only authentic Muay Thai Club in Cardiff, Barry, Rhondda and Vale of Glamorgan. He says that "there are many who claim this but can't back it with results, documentation or history". Apparently Muay Thai is different from kickboxing in that it is technically superior, and therefore I imagine it presents more of a challenge. Ring Lee for further details: 07792204881 Denzil Lawrence: 07932 253849 Spiro Micallef: 07710 477524

I have a lot of pent-up rage, so I thought taking a few classes at the Ultimate Fitness Centre…read morewould be like therapy, only funner. Armed with my fellow female partner-in-crime, I was ready for my first tutorial in ass kicking. The tuition is one of several offered by the gym, which includes a beginner class on Mondays and Thursdays at 6. You feel like you're in an authentic set up here, which of course adds to the Rocky-esque experience I was hoping for. The warm-up includes running, push-ups and sit-ups, followed by pairing up with a partner for a lesson in punching, kicking and elbow wielding (my favourite) using standard boxing gloves and pads. As my friend and I were the only two girls in the class, our instructor took extra time to explain self-defence manoeuvres which fell on gracious ears. The class is only £4 for the hour, and no sign up or registration is required. I'd recommend purchasing your own set of gloves, as the ones on offer smell like what you'd expect from sweaty boxing gear. Yeah, this ain't nothing like Boxercise. And I'm so going back.

The park plaza certainly is a jack of all trades. From the fabulous hotel itself to the excellent…read moreLaguna bar and this, the spa and gym smack bang in the middle of Cardiff. A friend of mine was a member there and so suggested I come and try it out for the day. Of course we bypassed the gym and went straight for the equally taxing pool/steam room/jacuzzi. The pool area is an oasis of calm in the middle of a very busy city. The walls are tranquil blue and it's has the feeling of being pure indulgence. The water is treated with a combination of UV and chlorine which means you don't get that OTT feeling of dry horrible skin that you get in other pools that just use chlorine. People watching is great here, for some reason the most beautiful men in Cardiff chose to swim at this establishment. Great if you're a bit of a perve like me but it's advisable to keep your wits about you to avoid drowning.

In this area of the city centre there are at least three good gyms all competing for membership:…read morethis, the Laguna Health & Spa at the Park Plaza Hotel; Vitality, around the corner, which is based upstairs above Henry's Bar on Park Place and doesn't have a pool; and the Hilton's small LivingWell gym, which can get busy during peak times. This cluster of gyms in close proximity has created plenty of competition between them to attract membership, so there are usually some promotions on at each of them to try to lure you in. The Laguna is good for those into swimming, and its pool is filtered using UV rather than just chlorine (unlike the Hilton's LivingWell pool), which makes for a less chemical swimming experience. They have a relaxing jacuzzi and a steam room next to the pool, and the changing rooms are very smartly done out. Here you definitely get the feeling you can indulge rather than just exercise hard, and it's a relaxing space to spend some time after work or at the weekend. If you want a real treat, the spa also has a range of beauty and relaxation treatments, most of them fairly expensive (as is the case with most spas). They also have a proper gym, of course, and about 35 exercise classes a week (unlike the Hilton LivingWell, which has no space to hold group classes). The gym has cardio vascular stations including treadmills, rowers, cross-trainers, steppers and walking machines, plus fixed resistance stations, a free weight area, a warm up and stretching area, a Power-Plate® Machine, and screens showing sport, news and music while you work out.

I do feel a bit of a fraud reviewing this gym as I'm not really a gym goer. But I nearly was, and…read morethis was because they were just so friendly and helpful. But I didn't join. I just bought bigger trousers! Now this is a proper gym type gym. You can tell from the big bicepped logo that this isn't a gym with a jacuzzi and a smoothy bar. In fact, the chap behind the counter did warn me that there weren't many women that went. My ears did prick up at that point, but I soon calmed down. Anyway, even though I wasn't sure they were happy to give me a tour and talk me through a plan and all the classes. It seems a pretty busy place, with a standard gym set up (weights and machines and cardio thingies) downstairs and then various spaces upstairs including a large dojo for Muay Thai. They do some great student offers though, and it was only laziness and not because I felt uncomfortable as a woman that prevented me from joining. If you are in the Roath area it would be good to check out. You can pay per session and they have all the yoga and legs, bums & tums and all that. I really, really nearly went!

Fantastic down to earth gym! No posers!!!! :D I personally…read moredon't think it should matter whether there are 1 or 100 girls in the gym when you go, but I know this bothers a lot of women so I thought I would let you know that there are many women who train here - and I mean actually train! All staff members are VERY helpful and if you need some help/advice - they are more than happy to assist you. HIGHLY recommended!

Inside the Hilton Hotel is a LivingWell fitness centre and health club, shared by hotel guests and…read moreprivate gym members, with genuinely friendly staff who can offer induction, exercise plans, and other expert advice. It has a gym, pool and therapy rooms for massage and other spa treatments. The gym room itself is well-equipped with cardio vascular stations, cross-trainers, running and rowing machines, weights, inflatable pilates balls, and more - but does get busy during peak times, such as after work (about 5pm until about 6.45 is the busiest). The spa area has a lovely, warm 20-metre pool (which is suspended upstairs, above the reception and bars on ground level), a jacuzzi, a sauna, and a steam room. It's a really nice little space to relax, with a couple of loungers where people sit and read magazines. Because the gym gets so busy during peak hours, when I was a member here I used to use give the gym itself a miss and swim in the pool, followed by some time relaxing in the jacuzzi, sauna and steam room - the perfect after-work wind down. You get very few posers in this place because it's really not big or butch enough to attract those types, which is refreshing - although I have seen a couple of international rugby teams descend on the gym from their hotel rooms, much to the delight of the female gym members! There are water dispensers available, and they provide you with towels, so you don't even need to remember to take those along with you! My only criticism of this place is that the showers could be checked more regularly (it's gross to come across someone else's soggy plaster in the plug hole) and also, due to lack of space, they don't have any group classes (such as yoga or pilates) so you really need to be self-motivated to get the most out of it - or pay to hire a personal trainer (which are available there).

A little on the small side, but is lovely on the inside, good facilities and a nice pool and steam…read moreroom.

I travel quite regularly with work, and since the Novotel is the hotel of choice for my business,…read moreI'm lucky enough to get to use the facilities here whenever I come down to Cardiff. In all honesty, I've used the pool facilities more often than the gym (forcing myself to get on an elliptical trainer when there's a spa pool I can relax in instead just never goes well!) but the gym facilities - while not the largest around - seem adequate for the clientele. A few treadmills, a few ellipticals as well as some stationary bikes in one side for the cardio junkies, while the other side of the gym is filled with free and static weights for the more buff of us (not me!). The pool is a reasonable size for a hotel swimming pool, with a beautiful spa pool (I love this thing!), a steam room and a sauna. I've also had a couple of times where I've been lucky enough to be the only person in there which is just bliss. Not sure how adequate it'd be if I were a paying member, but as a hotel perk it's pretty great.

From the owner: Exclusive, 4 Star Hotel-based Health & Fitness Club…read more InBalance Wellness by Novotel Cardiff offers contemporary and state-of-the-art facilities in a relaxing environment. Our highly trained and friendly staff offer a professional and motivational experience to help members achieve their personal goals. We offer complementary Lifestyle Consultations with tailor-made exercise programming to support you every step of the way. Whether your aim is to improve your fitness, tone up or to enhance general wellbeing, our facility caters for your needs and with a range of flexible membership tariffs, we will help you to achieve your goals. We offer quality service with the reassuring committment to every individual that we intend for you to make the most out of your membership. Facilities include: Resistance Gym Cardio Gym 15m Indoor Heated swimming pool Jacuzzi Steam Room Sauna Male & Female changing rooms Exercise Classes Personal Training Massage Treatments

Although the University's biggest sports facility is at Talybont, this more centrally located…read morefacility on Park Place is still a hub of activity throughout the week, and seems to host the majority of taught classes such as aerobics, yoga, body sculpt, and so on. Students (£2.30 a class) and staff (£3.20 a class) benefit from pretty cheap class prices, whereas external customers can go along but have to pay quite a bit more (£5 a time - still pretty good value!). This centre also has a very popular collection of six squash courts - three glass backed and two enclosed. These need booking in advance, and if you want to play around lunchtime you need to plan ahead a bit as courts often get booked up quite far in advance (you can book them up to two weeks in advance if you have racquets membership). Then there's the main fitness suite itself, with cardio equipment, resistance equipment and a free weights area. The gym staff offer a fitness assessment, can help you design an exercise training programme, and also offer a personal training service charged by the hour. Finally, there's also a wellbeing clinic offering massage, beauty treatments and physiotherapy - at great prices for staff and students!

Mel and Gareth are two excellent, dedicated personal trainers. They've helped me lose weight, build…read moremuscle and get massively fitter! They tailor the work outs to whatever you require. Their early morning bootcamps will leave completely awake and gunning for the day ahead!

From the owner: GET Fit and feel great with GM Fitness - Cardiff personal trainers…read more GM Fitness is a Cardiff based team of professional personal trainers who have already helped hundreds of people in the South Wales area achieve their fitness, physique and wellbeing goals. We have a proven track record of getting results for people of all ages, experience levels and needs. Why not get in touch and see what we can do for you? GM Fitness are the Cardiff personal training team who excel in getting you the body you want, while supporting and motivating you every step of the way. Whether you want to enjoy one of our lively classes, get dedicated 1-on-1 training at home or in your gym or take part in one of our walks or events we will show you that fitness can be fun! We provide expertise in weight loss, muscle gain, toning and sculpting, nutrition planning and general health and fitness.